Solar Industry Unveils Campaign to Streamline Solar Permitting

ANAHEIM, Calif. – As Solar Power International kicks off in California, the U.S. solar industry is taking a major step toward alleviating one of the biggest hurdles to installing solar on homes and businesses – cumbersome and inconsistent permitting and inspection processes.

With the support of industry leaders, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and The Solar Foundation today are unveiling the Solar Automated Permit Processing (SolarAPP) initiative, which will streamline permitting and slash the cost of solar installations.

Today, the permitting and inspection process adds about $7,000 in direct and indirect costs, approximately $1.00 per watt, to a typical residential solar energy system. In addition to reducing the expense of solar installations, SolarAPP improves the efficiency of going solar by creating a rules-based, automated permitting and inspection process.

“The goal is to make solar permitting more straightforward, and more routine, while at the same time maintaining the safety and reliability that U.S. solar projects are known for,” said SEIA’s president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “SolarAPP will cut unnecessary red tape, while saving Americans thousands of dollars. By making the process of going solar more efficient, both our companies and their customers win.”

"Reforming the solar and battery permitting process is one of the most significant steps our country can take to making solar more affordable for all,” said Lynn Jurich, CEO of Sunrun. “There is a patchwork of inconsistent permitting procedures and standards across the U.S. and our customers pay the high costs of navigating this system. We have an opportunity to help the industry invest in a million more solar roofs over the next 5 years from the savings by making the permitting process faster, while ensuring safety and reliability for all."

The multi-tiered plan proposes the following reforms:

A safety and skills training and certification program that allows residential and small commercial solar and battery storage installers to attest that their projects are compliant with applicable codes, laws, and industry practices, thus eliminating the need for a traditional multi-step permitting process;

A simple, standardized online platform that will be provided to local governments at no cost, to “register” and automatically screen qualifying systems for local government authorities;

A list of established equipment standards and/or certified equipment for solar and storage projects installed through the proposed process;

The creation, or refinement, of system design standards for qualifying solar projects;

A model instantaneous permitting regime for home and small-commercial solar and battery storage systems installed by certified installers and contractors;

A program administrator to oversee and implement the plan, including providing technical assistance to state and local jurisdictions and utilities.

"An automated solar permitting process will reduce unnecessary costs and give Americans more freedom to choose how they meet their energy needs," said Andrea Luecke, president and executive director at The Solar Foundation. "With this plan, we have a clear path forward to make solar installations even more affordable and widespread."

The solar industry is working with stakeholders across the industry and government, seeking feedback on SolarAPP.

“Improving the permit process and removing this unnecessary cost is critical to the success of the industry,” said Andrew Birch, a cofounder of Sungevity. “The major overseas markets are now expanding rapidly, thanks to simple, automated approval processes to install sold systems - we need all the industry’s support to focus on this and make it happen here in the U.S.”

“So much of the innovation in the past decade in the rooftop solar space has focused on making the technology more attainable via loans and other financial tools," said Billy Parish, founder and CEO of Mosaic, the leading home solar financing company in the US. "Targeting so-called soft costs, such as permitting, is the next frontier in affordability, critical in moving us toward clean energy for all."

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AboutSEIA®:

Celebrating its 44th anniversary in 2018, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry, which now employs more than 250,000 Americans. Through advocacy and education, SEIA® is building a strong solar industry to power America. SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to build jobs and diversity, champion the use of cost-competitive solar in America, remove market barriers and educate the public on the benefits of solar energy. Visit SEIA online at www.seia.org.

About The Solar Foundation®:

The Solar Foundation® is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate adoption of the world’s most abundant energy source. Through its leadership, research, and capacity building, The Solar Foundation creates transformative solutions to achieve a prosperous future in which solar and solar-compatible technologies are integrated into all aspects of our lives. Learn more at TheSolarFoundation.org.